Built Green 2017: A Year in Review

01/31/2018

2017 was another big year for Built Green! From certifications to ground-breaking research to elevating our influence per the 2017 MBAKS vision, we got a lot done with the help of our members and partners. Let’s take a look at the year in review!

Groundbreaking research

Built Green staff spent a year collecting and analyzing data for a first-of-its kind post-occupancy study, which was released last fall. The study used electricity consumption data provided by Seattle City Light for every single-family home built in Seattle in 2014. Built Green® homes were compared with non-certified homes to see how much electricity Built Green homes really are saving and to ensure the energy modeling protocol in place is leading to the desired efficiencies. It turns out that Built Green homes are saving even more electricity than we thought, with 4-Star homes using 33% less electricity on average than non-certified homes! This study is unique thanks to its size (we examined over 700 homes) and the fact that it compares certified to non-certified homes. Read the study.

As a result of the study, Built Green received some great media attention. Notable stories appeared on KING 5, KUOW, and GeekWire.

Elevating our influence

Built Green’s 2017 Conference was a big success, with participants rating the conference as “excellent” overall, according to our survey. The day started out with an engaging presentation by Alan Durning of Sightline Institute, which highlighted the intersection of sustainability, urban density, and affordability. The day also featured a panel with Alan, both Seattle mayoral candidates, and city council candidate (now councilmember), Teresa Mosqueda. The full session, moderated by Aaron Fairchild of Green Canopy Homes, can be viewed here. Additionally, there were other great sessions on net zero building, biomimicry, accessible solar, making the pitch for green remodels, and much, much more!

In addition to increasing public awareness of Built Green through our conference and through media coverage, we do this by making sure the program stays current and continues to push the envelope on green building. At the conference, we announced the launch of our new Net Zero Energy Label, which bequeaths special attention to Built Green projects that go above and beyond in their energy commitments. We’re seeing more of these incredible projects and we wanted to ensure they are well-supported by Built Green in telling their story. The Net Zero Energy Label is now included on the Built Green checklists and we have developed marketing materials to support projects that achieve this!

Green building incentives

Built Green values its relationships with local governments and utilities and we work alongside them to advance green building in their respective jurisdictions. Green building incentives, which come in many forms, can be effective ways to do this. In 2017, four new incentives that include Built Green certification were launched by SnoPUD, Bonneville Power Administration, and the cities of Shoreline and Bellevue. These incentives range from rebates to code departure possibilities to reduced fees. These incentives are in addition to many other incentives on offer—if you’re building green, make sure you take advantage of these opportunities!

Certifications

Built Green certified a total of 836 projects in 2017, including one Emerald Star—the second in Seattle! Though certifications were down compared to 2016, the star-level profile remained nearly the same.

Seattle still dominated the Built Green market, with 77 percent of 2017 certifications occurring within the city. The geographical spread was stronger than in 2016, however, with 12 other cities playing host to projects.

Who built these projects? 199 Built Green builder members! Isola Homes certified the most projects—88—while 30 builders certified one project a piece.

Built Green’s market share remains incredibly strong in Seattle, representing over a third of all residential development and an incredible 65 percent of all new single-family homes and townhomes! This is calculated by comparing the number of permits pulled to Built Green certifications; if we were to calculate this by the number of enrollments,* the share would be significantly higher.

Enrollments

Though certifications were a bit lower than in 2016, the number of enrollments was much higher, portending well for future years! In 2017, 1,403 projects, accounting for 4,256 units, enrolled in Built Green—a 27 percent increase in project enrollments and a doubling of enrolled units! This increase was accounted for by both single-family and multi-family projects.

Built Green had a great 2017, and if these achievements and numbers indicate anything, it’s that there’s a lot to come in 2018!

*Neither certification nor enrollment necessarily occurs at the same time as permitting, though there is a chance enrolling does. However, we use certifications as a measure despite the time lag, because we want to ensure a project did indeed meet Built Green requirements before we count it.

Photos courtesy Alabastro Photography

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Ted Clifton Jr. has been involved with Built Green since 2009 and has built three projects with us, in addition to other homes outside of King and Snohomish counties. All of the projects certified through us by his company, TC Legend Homes, are 5-Star Built Green.

Ted was awarded Project of the Year at the 2016 Built Green Conference for his two-home net zero energy project in the Victory Heights neighborhood of Seattle. These homes were constructed using Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)—one of the trademarks of Ted’s work. The homes include many advanced energy efficiency measures, in addition to the 9.5 kW solar arrays on each roof. They also meet 100% rainwater infiltration on site, have continuous exhaust ventilation, and used salvaged materials from the previous home. These projects were featured in a past Built Green Case Study.

Ted first became involved with Built Green because his father and a client encouraged him. He had already been building 3-Star Built Green homes in Bellingham, which inspired him to do even better. He originally started building sustainable and Built Green homes because he wanted the most stout, durable homes and thought Built Green was a good representation of the “epitome of green.” With his first net zero home, however, he realized that he could drastically reduce the amount of energy needed to maintain a home, or even eliminate it, and actually provide extra energy to power an electric car or two.

This point is often how he communicates the advantages of his projects, as compared to code built homes, to buyers. He explains that the homes make their own power, with some to spare. Ted has also found that the demand for these types of über green homes has been increasing. As he explained, he frequently gets ten or more emails a week from people wanting TC Legend Homes to build them a home.

Currently, he is working on an Emerald Star project that is pushing the boundaries of his company’s process even further. The house will make its own power and collect its own water. When asked what his favorite project so far is, he replied, “my current project, because it is always a step better than the last.”

In terms of the future, Ted is excited to see increases in efficiency in envelope systems, windows, heat pumps, and solar technology. He also mentions lighting, appliances, and toilets that just keep getting better and better. When talking about his company, he states that they are making a company whose movement is focused towards education and innovation and just building enough houses to continue their research and development.

In parting, Ted shared “our crew works three days per week, I commute in an electric car, and have a mullet.”

Thank you, Ted (and your mullet), for all your work with Built Green! We look forward to the projects you have coming up and are eager to see the completion of your first Emerald Star project!

The Cottage Company integrated many of the project’s details early in the design process, from stormwater mitigation to architectural spaces and finished materials to mechanical systems.

These two modern, low country-style homes sit between the Lake Forest Park Town Center and the beach along Lake Washington. The project aids the area’s larger mitigation efforts to restore the lower reach of Lyons Creek, which is an urban salmon-bearing stream, and re-establish two wetlands after the Lyons Creek flooded in 2007. In doing so, it mitigates most of the stormwater on-site through permeable hardscaping, native landscaping, and rain gardens.

The architectural design reflects forethought into the diversity of living situations and spaces. The addition of an accessory dwelling unit above the garage in each house can accommodate a large family, mother-in-law, multi-generational housing, or an extra tenant. Each home utilizes varying ceiling heights to create unconventional gathering spaces like a top-floor reading nook and a wraparound porch with a double-swing barn-style door to connect the indoor and outdoor spaces seamlessly.

Each material was specifically picked for its aesthetic integration into the low country style, as well as its green attributes. Many materials used on this project were locally produced (within 500 miles), namely cabinets, framing lumber, decking, handrails, pavers, drywall, millwork, and siding. The interior finishes also include GreenGuard certified paint, insulation, and luxury vinyl plank flooring, along with Sustainable Forestry Initiative certified sourcing hardwood flooring and wool carpet.

Energy efficient features include a hybrid heat pump water heater coupled with low-flow plumbing fixtures, ducted and ductless mini-splits for space heating and cooling, LED lighting with dimmer switches, and a spot ERV to ensure fresh air within the home. The cottages reflect a very thoughtful way of mitigating stormwater on-site and attention to detail of design within space, materiality, and energy efficiency.

Lately, every year seems to be a big year for Built Green and 2016 was no exception! We acquired data for an innovative post-occupancy electricity use study (stay tuned!), put on a fun and successful conference, secured three new or improved city or utility incentives, had bus ads based on our silly indoor weather reports zooming around, and much more. In addition to these achievements, Built Green experienced a lot of certification growth. Let’s take a look at the numbers and see how we did in detail!

Total Certifications

In 2016, Built Green certified a total of 1,003 projects. That’s the first time we’ve hit over a thousand certifications since before the recession, back when Built Green did not require third-party verification at all levels and wasn’t as vigorous as it is now. This is quite an achievement for the program! In fact, the program has been steadily growing since the recession and we expect this progress to continue.

The graph above not only demonstrates the program’s growth, but also a shift to more certifications at the 4-Star, rather than the easier 3-Star level. We attribute much of this shift to the city and utility incentives that start rewarding builders whose projects meet the 4-Star level. One of the most popular incentives is Seattle’s Priority Green. Once enrollments in the Priority Green incentive picked up, the shift to more 4-Star Built Green projects was right behind.

Star Levels

In 2016, 4-Star made up a whopping 84% of all certifications. Now, let’s see if we can get more projects at the 5-Star and even Emerald Star levels. These projects are really special and ones that Built Green loves to highlight (we’ll have a report on the outcomes of Dwell’s Ballard Emerald Star out soon!). Which builder will achieve the next Emerald Star certification?

Project Types

Let’s take a closer group at Built Green’s 2016 numbers. What types of projects were being certified and where? Built Green certifications are given out by building, so one project receives one certification, but it may contain more than one unit. For example, an apartment building would account for one certification, but perhaps 100 units. The below graphs show the types of projects that were certified in 2016, both by number of certifications and by number of units certified.

As you can see, single-family and townhome projects accounted for the vast majority of 2016 certifications. However, when you look instead at the number of living units certified, multi-family units account for two-thirds of certifications.

Location

By far most Built Green projects in 2016 were certified in Seattle. Kirkland had the second highest number of projects, though all other cities trailed far behind Seattle in numbers. We would love to see more geographical diversity next year and are making plans on how to encourage more builders doing projects outside of Seattle to join Built Green.

Enrollments

Certifications aren’t the only activity going on, of course – new projects are always popping up, which means we’re steadily enrolling projects that are aiming for Built Green certification. In total, 1,105 projects were enrolled with Built Green last year, accounting for 2,120 units. Based on these numbers, we’re expecting our progress to continue.

This year, we plan to continue Built Green’s growth while trying to expand our reach, both by certifying more remodels and multi-family projects and by growing outside of Seattle as well. We’re thankful to the amazing builders and others in the green building sector who have made our successes and growth possible, and we’re looking forward to a great, green 2017!